Furniture with molded frame

Abstract

A seat having a frame made of a molded article in which the molded article is a shell-structure is described. Preferably the molded article describes a lattice structure in the form of a space frame. The molded article is preferably scaled and contoured providing significant structural integration and torsional strength.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A furniture for use by at least one human user, said human user having weight, said human user having a buttocks region, said furniture for seating above a support surface, the furniture having a main loading area, the main loading area being a substantially horizontal seat portion, said furniture comprising: 
       a weight-bearing frame, wherein a larger portion of the frame has one or more molded components, wherein said weight-bearing frame defines at least one span across a part of said substantially horizontal seat portion;  
       wherein at least 50% of said molded components are shell-structure, at least a portion of said shell structure traversing said span across a part of said seat portion;  
       wherein a lattice form having a character of a skeletal framework is defined by said molded components and is positioned in said seat portion; and  
       wherein a part of said shell structure is positioned completely around at least one of a recessed and open area defined by said lattice form within said main loading area having said seat portion, said at least one of recessed and open area positioned and sized at least sufficiently to accommodate said buttocks region of at least one user, said part of said shell structure which is positioned completely around said at least one of recessed open area defining a substantially horizontal plane, said part of said shell structure assuming compressive loading placed on said substantially horizontal seat portion by which the weight of said at least one human user is transferred to the support surface.  
     
     
       2. The furniture in  claim 1 , wherein said lattice form defines a lattice structure. 
     
     
       3. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said lattice form defines a lattice structure which is a space-frame. 
     
     
       4. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said molded components are scaled. 
     
     
       5. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said molded components are contoured. 
     
     
       6. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said molded components are generously contoured. 
     
     
       7. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein a structure defined by said molded components has substantial structural integration and torsional strength. 
     
     
       8. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein a structure defined by said molded components is an optimized structure. 
     
     
       9. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein a structure defined by said molded components is an efficient structure. 
     
     
       10. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein substantially all weight-bearing portions of said frame are molded components. 
     
     
       11. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said lattice form defined is plural. 
     
     
       12. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said frame is an openwork. 
     
     
       13. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein substantially a majority of said molded components are closed shell construction shell-structure. 
     
     
       14. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said molded components are substantially all closed shell construction shell-structure. 
     
     
       15. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said furniture is at least partially upholstered. 
     
     
       16. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said furniture is substantially upholstered. 
     
     
       17. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said shell-structure molded components define at least a first depth, said first depth orientated to provide strength for assuming bending loading greater than strength obtained from at least some other orientation of said depth. 
     
     
       18. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein said first depth is oriented to substantially maximize strength. 
     
     
       19. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least a first portion of said frame defines load-bearing span having a first shell-structure molded component, and wherein said first shell-structure molded component has a first depth substantially near the center of said span which is greater than a depth of said shell-structure molded component spaced from said center of said span. 
     
     
       20. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein molded components are shaped to transfer loads to regions of load distribution. 
     
     
       21. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein molded components are ergonomically shaped. 
     
     
       22. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein molded components are shaped to provide lumbar support. 
     
     
       23. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said frame is custom fit to a user. 
     
     
       24. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said frame is custom scaled to a user. 
     
     
       25. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said molded components are substantially flexible. 
     
     
       26. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said molded components includes a surface having a padding property incorporated during a molding process. 
     
     
       27. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said frame is contoured to accommodate stacking with similar frames. 
     
     
       28. The furniture as claimed as  claim 1 , wherein said frame is contoured to accommodate inter-nesting with similar frames. 
     
     
       29. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said frame comprises a plurality of disassemblable sections. 
     
     
       30. The furniture as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein at least some of said disassemblable sections are configured to accommodate stacking. 
     
     
       31. The furniture as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein at least some of said sections are configured to accommodate inter-nesting. 
     
     
       32. The furniture as claimed in  claim 29 , wherein at least two of said sections are interchangeable. 
     
     
       33. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least two sections of said frame are configured so as to be movable with respect to one another during normal use. 
     
     
       34. The furniture as claimed in  claim 33 , further comprising means for controlling said relative movement. 
     
     
       35. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said frame includes at least a first knuckle joint. 
     
     
       36. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said frame includes at least a first joint providing relative movement of portions of said frame, said joint being integral to said molded components. 
     
     
       37. The furniture as claimed in  claim 36  wherein said strapping provides a function selected from the group consisting of motion control and stress distribution. 
     
     
       38. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said frame includes at least a first joint providing relative movement of portions of said frame, said joint being non-integral with and coupled to said molded components. 
     
     
       39. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising strapping coupled to said frame. 
     
     
       40. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising strapping at least partially covering a first opening defined by said lattice form. 
     
     
       41. The furniture claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising strapping coupled to said frame by at least partially wrapping around a frame component adjacent to at least one opening defined by said lattice form. 
     
     
       42. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said frame includes means for providing a therapeutic service selected from the group consisting of massage, pneumatic variable body support and heating. 
     
     
       43. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said molded components is produced by a molding process which is intrinsically descriptive of shell-structures. 
     
     
       44. The furniture as claimed in  claim 43 , wherein at least one of said molded components is produced by a low-pressure molding process. 
     
     
       45. The furniture as claimed in  claim 44 , wherein at least one of said components is produced by a low-pressure molding process which uses supplemental inflatable forms. 
     
     
       46. The furniture as claimed in  claim 44 , wherein at least one of said molded components is produced in a molding process using inflatable molds. 
     
     
       47. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising upholstery configured to be manipulated by a user to perform a function selected from the group consisting of assembly, disassembly, adjustment and interchange. 
     
     
       48. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a suspension material coupled to said frame. 
     
     
       49. The furniture as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein said suspension material is coupled to said frame by passing through an opening defined in an inner region of said frame. 
     
     
       50. The furniture as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein said suspension material is coupled to said frame by being joined to itself. 
     
     
       51. The furniture as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein said suspension material is a fabric. 
     
     
       52. The furniture as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein tension on said suspension material is adjustable. 
     
     
       53. The furniture as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein said suspension material is substantially resilient. 
     
     
       54. The furniture as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein said suspension material has resilience which is user-variable. 
     
     
       55. The furniture as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein resilience properties of said suspension material are spatially variable. 
     
     
       56. The furniture as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein said suspension material is coupled to said frame by a buckle-type device. 
     
     
       57. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising at least a first material with padding properties coupled to said frame. 
     
     
       58. The furniture as claimed in  claim 57 , wherein said first material is produced in individual molds. 
     
     
       59. The furniture as claimed in  claim 57 , wherein said first material is coupled to said seat frame using a fabric material extending over at least a first side of said first material. 
     
     
       60. The furniture as claimed in  claim 57 , wherein said first material has a density which is determined during a molding process. 
     
     
       61. The furniture as claimed in  claim 59 , wherein said fabric material is joined to said first material in a molding process. 
     
     
       62. The furniture as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising upholstery detachably coupled to said frame. 
     
     
       63. A furniture for use by at least one human users, said human user having a weight and a buttocks region, said furniture provide for seating above a support surface, the furniture having a main loading area, the main loading area being a substantially horizontal seat portion, said furniture comprising: 
       frame means for supporting bearing weight of a user wherein at least 50% of said frame is composed of one or more molded components, wherein said weight-bearing frame means defines at least one span across a part of said substantially horizontal seat portion;  
       upholstery detachably coupled to said frame means;  
       wherein at least 50% of said molded components are shell-structure, at least a portion of said shell structure traversing said span across a part of said seat portion;  
       wherein a lattice form is defined by said molded components and is positioned in said seat portion; and  
       wherein a part of said shell structure is positioned completely around at least one of a recessed and open area defined by said lattice form within said main loading area comprising said seat portion, said at least one of a recessed and open area being positioned and sized at least sufficiently to accommodate said buttocks region of said at least one user, said part of said shell structure which is positioned completely around said at least one of a recessed and open area defining a substantially horizontal plane, said part of said shell structure assuming compressive loading placed on said substantially horizontal seat portion by which the weight of said at least one human user is transferred to the support surface.  
     
     
       64. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said molded components is produced by a molding process selected from the group consisting of blow molding, rotational molding and foam-molding. 
     
     
       65. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein shell interior space defined by said shell structure is substantially continuous throughout the larger portion of said frame. 
     
     
       66. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said horizontal seat portion is supported by a shell-structure leg portion which is substantially integrated therewith. 
     
     
       67. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 66 , wherein said integrated seat and leg portions provides continuity of shell structure strength. 
     
     
       68. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said seat portion is formed integrally with at least one of a back portion and a leg portion. 
     
     
       69. A furniture for seating comprising: 
       a weight-bearing frame for supporting the weight of one or more users for seating above a support surface, said frame having a main loading area, said main loading area being a substantially horizontal seat portion, wherein said main loading area assumes compressive loading from the weight of said one or more users placed on said seat portion from above, said frame defining at least one span across a part of said substantially horizontal seat portion;  
       wherein a larger part of said frame is one or more molded components;  
       wherein a larger part of said molded components is shell-structure; and  
       wherein said seat portion is largely a lattice form, said lattice form defining at least one of a recessed and open area within said seat portion, wherein said lattice form is largely defined by said molded components.  
     
     
       70. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 69 , wherein said molded components which define said lattice form are largely shell structure. 
     
     
       71. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 69 , wherein said molded components which define said lattice form are substantially all shell structure. 
     
     
       72. The furniture, as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said part of said shell structure defines a continuous shell interior region positioned completely around said at least one of recessed and open area.